The Surfin' Merkin is a saltwater pattern by Paul Cronin and is very popular for sight fishing for Corbina in Southern California. The eyes on this fly help it get down quickly and ride hook up to keep that hook sharp when dragging through the sand and rocks.

Tie up a few of these in a couple sizes for your next trip to the surf. The bright pink is a popular color as well as gray.

Materials List

Hook:

Size 6-8 saltwater

Thread:

Orange

Eyes:

Dumbell Eyes to match hook

Tail:

Flashabou

Legs/Feelers:

White/Clear Rubber Legs

Body:

EP Fibers / Congo Hair coated in Solarez UV Fly Tying Resin

Head:

Orange Crinkle Flash

Tying Instructions

surfin merkin step01

Secure your hook in the vise point up. You'll be tying the bulk of this fly on the belly of the hook, only the eyes go on the top.

surfin merkin step02

Tie in 6-8 strands of Flashabou at the back of the hook, cut to about the shank length.

surfin merkin step03

Tie in your rubber legs, one on each side, trim about the same length as the flash.

surfin merkin step04

Flip over the hook, and secure your dumbell eyes using Figure-8 wraps.

surfin merkin step05

Cut a section of EP Fibers / Congo Hair about the width of a coffee stirrer when pulled tight. Cut that into equal lengths about 2 inches each. Secure to the hook with a single figure 8 wrap and advance the thread ahead a bit. You can slide the bundle along the shank as needed to position. Repeat this 3 more times so you have 4 bundles all tied in.

surfin merkin step06

surfin merkin step07

surfin merkin step08

surfin merkin step10

Tie in 4-5 strands of orange crinkle flash and wrap over the eyes behind and ahead to create a nice orange head. Tie off and whipfinish.

surfin merkin step11

Take some Solarez UV Fly Tying Resin and fill in the gap along the shank of the hook to secure the bundles. Flip the fly over and do the same on the bottom of the fly but a little wider to provide some weight and protection for the tied in fibers. Add resin to build up the head and coat the fragile flash.

surfin merkin step12

surfin merkin step13

surfin merkin step14

surfin merkin step15

Using some sharp scissors, you'll want to trim the body to shape by grabbing them into a flat bundle and cutting a semi-circle. Do that for each side, and your fly is done!